Mucca Mad Boys
Well-Known Member
I actually agree with LS here, insomuch as the threat of administration was largely posturing; many of the stakeholders had too much invested to enter administration at the time.
That stated, even if we'd done so, and entered administration; if we'd have maintained the same form in the same season form post-SISU as we did pre-SISU, we'd still have survived even with a 10 point deduction.
The difference between SISU and other suitors was they they were the only game in town pre-administration - even if that had happened. In the event of administration, a clean slate, chance to renegotiate contracts (such as the Ricoh), then other parties would surely have come into play; exactly as they are now - even in our perilous position.
What I can tell you is that for the last 10 years, this is a list of teams of a 'similar size' as us who have entered administration: Hull City, Queens Park Rangers, Barnsley, Leicester City, Derby County, Ipswich Town, Leeds United, Southampton, Crystal Palace, Portsmouth. I don't think it's black as 'lucky' Southampton or 'unlucky' Pompey; the majority are now better off than where they were.
It's no good labouring on about Luton, Darlington or Northwich Victoria as they didn't have the league position or infrastructure that we had at the time of potential purchase.
Maybe some of the parties now at the table could have bought us then; and aped what some of the teams in the list have? Christ, if they're interested now; they'd be eminently more liable to be so with us at 14th in the Championship with 18K crowds.
Instead we got SISU. The rest is a chronology of historical facts.....
But that pre-SISU form was in decline, in Dowie's last 10 we won 2 and drawn 2, so on that trajectory, we weren't going to do particularly well, I don't know where we could've got those 10 points from tbh.